Everyone agree that Custom composite web controls is fantastic way toward re-use, extend and all the bonuses we get from OO
I want to share with you a difficulty we always encounter in the IT department I'm part of.
Our IT project managers new slogan is try to do "more with less". This is because of budget considerations & Time to market constraints.
Usually this leads to the following results - when we need to set a design to a module that can be re-use in different pages of our application it will be done using User Control. User Control are easy & intuitive way to code re-usable visual component that will use in different places within the web applications (again do more with less is guiding principle).
When we need a control that we know it could be re-use in different applications (multiple file upload control for example) we design it as a custom web control or composite web control.
[The different is the custom web control is existing web control we extend to gain new functionality (inherits from TextBox, Label or other existing web control). Composite web control is few web controls that together with attached methods and events gives us the required functionality]
The problem is (and this is what I am aiming for) we get the resources (developers, time, budget) to the develop the must functionality which is the Web Control itself but we cannot convince our project manager why we need to implement the Designer support for our web control.
The project requirements being divided into high priority feature list and "nice to have" features. The support of the VS Designer to a re-usable custom web control categories as "nice to have" feature. When we said the designer support will enlarge developer users productivity but we will need more time in order to supply it their answer is write a short, clear developer guide instead.
This is why all of our custom/composite controls in our IT department do not have designer support
When a developer drag one of our custom control to the designer form he will get in the control display something like
"Error creating control" or "There was an error rendering the control"
Now - the thing is that (and I want to be honest with you ) even when we got the OK from our project manager to add VS designer support then we don't have the motivation to do it.
We are not component providers specialists that have to supply enhance controls with designer support to make the control more productive.
We also prefer to get into other .NET Namespaces that will be more valuable to us and to our department instead of drill down the VS designer namespace which is not often used by different software companies that are not component providers.
I guess you encounter this problem too.
Now, what I suggest is the following -
Microsoft or one of the leading component provider will supply a simple VS integrated wizard that will build and attach the VS designer class support for our custom/composite class (I guess that with reflection this is possible)
The wizard engine will find our public properties & events and build for it the required VS support
I think this kind of Wizard can be really essential & complementary tool for lots of developers
Don't u think?